Coco Gauff falls in all-American battle as Madison Keys reaches Madrid Open quarter-finals

Experience won out in a tight battle between two Americans on Monday (29 April) at the Madrid Open, with Madison Keys taking out world No.3 Coco Gauff, 7-6(4) 4-6 6-4 in two and a half hours.

It marks the first time the 29-year-old Keys has reached the quarter-finals at the WTA 1000 tennis event in 10 appearances. The world No.20 is now 3-2 against the 20-year-old Gauff, though this was the first time the two had done battle on red clay.

Keys will face 2022 Madrid champion Ons Jabeur for a spot in the semi-finals, with world No.1 Iga Swiatek and Beatriz Haddad Maia of Brazil doing battle in the other quarter on the top half of the women’s draw.

Keys hit 29 winners to 26 from Gauff in a match that featured 14 breaks of serve. Gauff, the reigning US Open champion, suffered from 13 double faults – including two in the final game.

“I definitely had to stay tough. I was behind in every set… I had to stay calm and trust myself,” Keys said on court after her win. “I had to take the opportunities when they presented themselves.”

Keys hadn’t won a match in Madrid since reaching the round of 16 in 2016, suffering six straight losses before this fortnight. She’s 0-2 vs. Jabeur, having lost in straight sets in both of their meetings.

She said about her quarter-final run: “It’s great. I’ve come many, many times and it’s the first time I’ve made the quarter-finals. I’m really proud of that. I haven’t won very many matches prior here. Especially coming back from injury… this feels good.”